Research proposals

SUBMIT YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Senior Members are allowed to submit research proposals for studies to be conducted with data from the RAMIE Registry. The template for study proposals can be downloaded here. Research proposals should be addressed to research@ugira.org.

Please note: the review process is meant to ensure high quality of research proposals and to only improve its methodology. We very much welcome every research proposal (submitted by Senior Members)! The review process in short: after feedback from 2 reviewers of the Scientific Committee, applicants have the opportunity to write a rebuttal. The proposal will then be discussed within the Scientific Committee. Applicants may be invited to substantiate their proposal by an oral interview.

The full procedures concerning data requests, including data ownership and the review process, are shown below and can be downloaded here

Worldwide Techniques and Outcomes in Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE): Results From the Multicenter International Registry
B Feike KingmaPeter P GrimmingerPieter C van der Sluis, Marc J van DetEwout A Kouwenhoven, Yin-Kai Chao, Chun-Yi TsaiHans F Fuchs, Christiane J Bruns, Inderpal S Sarkaria, James D Luketich, Jan W Haveman, Boudewijn van EttenPhilip W ChiuShannon M Chan, Philippe Rouanet, Anne Mourregot, Jens-Peter Hölzen, Rubens A Sallum, Ivan CecconelloJan-Hendrik EgbertsFrank BenedixMark I van Berge Henegouwen, Suzanne S GisbertzDaniel PerezKristina Jansen, Michal HubkaDonald E Low, Matthias BieblJohann PratschkePaul Turner, Kish PursnaniAsif Chaudry, Myles Smith, Elena Mazza, Paolo StrignanoJelle P RuurdaRichard van Hillegersberg; UGIRA Study Group

Published in Annals of Surgery (2022): 10.1097/SLA.0000000000004550

Surgical Techniques and Related Perioperative Outcomes After Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Gastrectomy (RAMIG): Results From the Prospective Multicenter International Ugira Gastric Registry
Cas de JonghFabio CianchiTakahiro KinoshitaFeike KingmaMicaela PiccoliAttila DubeczEwout KouwenhovenMarc van DetTom MalaAndrea CorattiPaolo UbialiPaul TurnerPursnani KishFelice BorghiArul ImmanuelMagnus NilssonIoannis RouvelasJens P HӧlzenPhilippe RouanetOlivier Saint-MarcDavid DussartAlberto PatritiFrancesca BazzocchiBoudewijn van EttenJan W HavemanMarco DePrizioFlávio SabinoMassimo ViolaFelix BerlthPeter P GrimmingerFranco RovielloRichard van HillegersbergJelle RuurdaUGIRA Collaborative Group

Published in Annals of Surgery (2024): 10.1097/SLA.0000000000006147

The Current State of Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE): Outcomes from the Upper GI International Robotic Association (UGIRA) Esophageal Registry              Cezanne D. Kooij MD, Cas de Jongh MD, B. Feike Kingma MD, PhD, Mark I. van Berge Henegouwen MD, PhD, Suzanne S. Gisbertz MD, PhD, Yin-Kai Chao MD, PhD, Philip W. Chiu MD, PhD, Philippe Rouanet MD, PhD, Anne Mourregot MD, Arul Immanuel MD, PhD, Tom Mala MD, PhD, Gijs I. van Boxel MD, PhD, Nicholas C. Carter MD, Hecheng Li MD, PhD, Hans F. Fuchs MD, PhD, Christiane J. Bruns MD, PhD, Simone Giacopuzzi MD, PhD, Jörg C. Kalff MD, PhD, Jens-Peter Hölzen MD, PhD, Mazen A. Juratli MD, PhD, Frank Benedix MD, PhD, Eric Lorenz MD, Jan-Hendrik Egberts MD, PhD, Jan W. Haveman MD, PhD, Boudewijn van Etten MD, PhD, Beat P. Müller MD, PhD, Peter P. Grimminger MD, PhD, Felix Berlth MD, Guillaume Piessen MD, Jan W. van den Berg MD, PhD, Marco Milone MD, PhD, James D. Luketich MD, Inderpal S. Sarkaria MD, Rubens A. A. Sallum MD, PhD, Marc J. van Det MD, PhD, Ewout A. Kouwenhoven MD, PhD, Matthias Brüwer MD, PhD, Tomas Harustiak MD, PhD, Takahiro Kinoshita MD, PhD, Takeo Fujita MD, PhD, Hiroyuki Daiko MD, PhD, Zhigang Li MD, PhD, Jelle P. Ruurda MD, PhD, Richard van Hillegersberg MD, PhD; UGIRA Study Group

Published in Annals of Surgical Oncology (2025): 10.1245/s10434-024-16364-9

Anastomotic leakage following robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE): which anastomosis should be preferred?
Marco Milone, Cezanne D. Kooij, Michele Manigrasso, Lucas Goense, Marc J. van Det, Ewout A. Kouwenhoven, Suzanne S. Gisbertz, Beat P. Müller, Philipp Lingohr, Takeo Fujita, Hans F. Fuchs, Christiane J. Bruns, Dolores T. Krauss, Jan W. Haveman, Boudewijn van Etten, Daniel Perez, Jan-Hendrik Egberts, Paul Turner, Guillaume Piessen, Frank Benedix, Peter P. Grimminger, Luca Bellaio, Vladimir J. Lozanovski, Giovanni Ferrari, Anne Mourregot, Philippe Rouanet, Jens-Peter Hölzen, Mazen A. Juratli, Andreas Pascher, Arul Immanuel, James D. Luketich, Nicholas Baker, Gijs I. van Boxel, Tomas Harustiak, Hecheng Li, Michal Hubka, Zhigang Li, Paolo Strignano, Richard van Hillegersberg, Jelle P. Ruurda; UGIRA Study Group

Published in Surgical Endoscopy (2025): 10.1007/s00464-025-11977-x

1. Hybrid minimally invasive esophagectomy versus robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE): an international propensity-score matched comparison of perioperative outcomes
PI:         Dr. Hans Fuchs (Cologne)
Status:  Published in Surgical Endoscopy

2. The current state of robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE): Outcomes from the Upper GI International Robotic Association (UGIRA) Esophageal registry
PI:          Prof. van Hillegersberg (Utrecht)
Status:   Published in Annals of Surgical Oncology

3. Anastomotic leakage following robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE): which anastomosis should be preferred?
PI:          Prof. Jelle Ruurda (Utrecht) / Prof. Marco Milone (Naples)
Status:   Approved by UGIRA

4. Regional characteristics of Esophageal Cancer and Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE): an Analysis of the International UGIRA Registry
PI:          Dr. James Luketich (Pittsburgh)
Status:   Approved by UGIRA

5. Total MIE versus RAMIE– Comparison of the MIO benchmark database and the UGIRA registry
PI:         Prof. Peter Grimminger (Mainz)
Status:  Under review by UGIRA

6. Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (RAMIE) Competency Assessment Tool – Validating surgical skills of a RAMIE-procedure”          
PI:         Prof. Camiel Rosman (Nijmegen) / Prof. Jelle Ruurda (Utrecht) / Dr. Marc van Det (Almelo)
Status:  Approved by UGIRA 

7. The learning curve of robotic assisted minimal invasive esophagectomy: do surgeons with experience in thoracoscopy have an advantage?                   
PI:         Prof. Yin-Kai Chao (Taipei)
Status:  Approved by UGIRA 

8. Deep learning-based recognition of key anatomical structures during robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy
PI:          Prof. Jelle Ruurda (Utrecht)
Status:   Approved by UGIRA

9. Predictive Analysis of postoperative complication using machine learning methods in RAMIE surgery
PI:         Prof. Jens Peter Hölzen (Münster)
Status:  Under review by UGIRA

10. Robotic surgical technique for mediastinal lymphadenectomy
PI:          Dr. Suzanne Gisbertz
Status:   Approved by UGIRA